coming home

The family of a British man given a life sentence in Thailand for drugs offences has welcomed him home after his conviction was quashed.

Jody Aggett was greeted at Heathrow by his five-year-old son, Ryan, his parents, Lorna and Tony, and his twin sister, Tammy.

Mr Aggett's Thai girlfriend, Ramphia Lo, gave birth in jail after she was sentenced alongside Mr Aggett in 2001.

The couple decided to send Ryan home to his grandparents in Swindon, Wiltshire.

The emotional meeting on Tuesday at Heathrow was only the second time the little boy had seen his father.

Mr Aggett said: "It's great to be back."

He added that he had not been confident he would be freed when his case was brought before the Thai Supreme Court. He admitted: "I was expecting the same sentence again."

Mrs Aggett said she was looking forward to welcoming her son home.

She said: "Jody has been our strength throughout all of this and Ryan has been such a great comfort because every time I saw him I saw a little bit of Jody."

She said she would "always admire and love" Ramphia Lo, who is known as Kristin to the family, for allowing the little boy to be sent to the UK.

Mr Aggett's father said: "I'm ecstatic. If I could have picked him up in my arms I would have done, I can't believe that he's here."

False confession

Mr Aggett, who was originally sentenced to death before it was commuted to a life sentence, had been living above a travel agents in Bangkok with his girlfriend when they were both arrested.

His parents said the pair were allowed to stay rent-free in the flat if they opened and closed the office.

But the agency's owner had been manufacturing ecstasy in the building, they claim.

After being ordered to sign what the family says amounted to a false confession written in Thai, Mr Aggett was found guilty of being part of the drugs plot.

He lodged an appeal against the conviction with the Thai supreme court, claiming an unfair trial and insufficient evidence, but a military coup last year delayed his hearing.

Catherine Wolthuizen, of Fair Trials Abroad who has campaigned for the release of Mr Aggett said he had had a tough time in the Thai prison.

"Because he was on death row for two of those six years he was shackled and had that continuous death penalty hanging over his head so he was not just separated from his family but also had the very serious threat to his life," she said.

The case against Mr Aggett and Ramphia Lo was quashed on 3 September 2007.